Industrial controllers and their associated input/output (I/O) devices can be useful to the operation of modern industrial automation systems. These industrial controllers can interact with field devices on the plant floor to control automated processes relating to such objectives as product manufacture, material handling, batch processing, supervisory control, and other such applications. Industrial controllers can store and execute user-defined control programs to effect decision-making in connection with the controlled process. Such programs can include, but are not limited to, ladder logic, sequential function charts, function block diagrams, structured text, or other such programming structures. In general, industrial controllers can read input data from sensors and metering devices that can provide discreet and telemetric data regarding one or more states of the controlled system, and can generate control outputs based on these inputs in accordance with the user-defined program.
In addition to industrial controllers and their associated I/O devices, some industrial automation systems also can include low-level control systems, such as vision systems, barcode marking systems, variable frequency drives, industrial robots, and the like, which can perform local control of portions of the industrial process, or which can have their own localized control systems.
During operation of a given industrial automation system, comprising a collection of industrial devices, industrial processes, other industrial assets, and network-related assets, users (e.g., operators, technicians, maintenance personnel, etc.) typically can monitor or manage operations of the industrial automation system, perform maintenance, repairs, or upgrades on the industrial automation system, or perform other tasks in connection with operation of the industrial automation system. The above-described description of today's industrial control and business systems is merely intended to provide a contextual overview of relating to conventional industrial automation systems, and is not intended to be exhaustive.